It Can Pay To Lose In College Football

Forbes ^ | 12.05.06 | Matt Woolsey

[lepton]

Bottom line is this. Michigan honks have been yapping for weeks about how they and Ohio State are the two best teams in the country, and that they should be playing for the national title, and that other teams weren't in their league this year and all this. Now, you're telling me that what they actually were saying is "We're the best two teams in the country, as long as we get to play these other teams we're better than in the cold weather, and we don't have to travel very far, and both sides agree to run the ball a lot." If you guys are that good, let's see you beat USC, how about just once?

Frankly, even in the belief that UM probably is the second best team, I was hoping that there's be more conference mixing and no rematch. USC v OSU at Tempe looked like a good test, and a very good game - not that that is fully relevant to my point.

[raptor29]

"I'm suggesting that a 76 degree day in Los Angeles benefits USC against Michigan as much as a 25 degree day in Ann Arbor benefits Michigan against USC."

Flawed thinking, not even close. You are suggesting that 76 degree weather would have impact on a team's ability to function and perform the skills of the game. Where does 76 degrees impact any team's ability to play? What area of their game is impacted by GOOD WEATHER? That is just absurd logic. Bad weather is an equalizer for lesser teams, because it would have some impact in some circumstances. Good weather simply allows the teams to execute their skills. If you are saying that you need the equalizer in order to beat the Pac-10 teams, OK, I'll agree with you there. History would show that to be true.

You are trying to justify the Big Ten's pitiful Rose Bowl record by hoping someone will buy "well, if we could have played those games in the snow, we would have won more of them." Great, if that makes you feel better about the Big Ten's pitiful Rose Bowl record, then you continue to feel that way. Basically, you are trying to stretch an incredibly trivial factor into a broad justification for the Big Ten losses. Fine, you have that right if it makes you feel better. But you're gaining no traction with me. You wouldn't gain any traction with Big Ten coaches or players either. Those teams have changed over the last 30 years. They have adopted the very offenses that used to kick their ass on a regular basis out here almost every year. And their defenses have had to adjust as well, to counter these offensive advances. And as a result, the league is better today than it was back in the Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler days. C'mon, look at Bo's bowl record. Are you kidding me? You think that was weather, or do you think it might have had to do with an approach they have since abandoned?

In fact, that is the key question here. Ohio State is playing for the national title this year. Are they more of a passing team or a running team? Is their running back going to win the Heisman, or is their quarterback going to win it? Is Michigan 11-1 this year because they are more of a passing threat this year (with their 3rd-year quarterback and several big receivers) or more of a running threat (with that midget who got about a yard and a half per carry the last time they played USC)? These teams have adjusted to the realities of the game, and their historical failures. And they are better as a result. And again, you can thank several decades of almost annual thumpings out here for pushing the league to change.

[raptor29]

Just read in today's LA Times that the Michigan football team arrived in southern California last night, December 22. In ten days, they will play the Rose Bowl game. I don't believe I've seen or read any reference to jet lag lasting ten days. At the same time, all the out of state USC players left campus yesterday and hopped on planes to fly to their home towns for Christmas, not to return until early next week. Apparently, they are not so concerned about the jet lag factor.

One other thing. How is it that the second best team in the country isn't even favored in this game? Not even favored to win even with their opponent coming off arguably the worst game they have played in four years?